


Pluribus (You know I'm in love with you, right?)

by ZXI



Series: many voices telling a story [5]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: And I ship all of the ships, Because oh my god the Thing from Reunions, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Vex is actually the best wingman you never knew, hard conversations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:02:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5372924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZXI/pseuds/ZXI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vex thought she could trust her brother to take care of his own shit. Apparently, she was wrong.</p><p>Vax just wants to be happy with his family.</p><p>Percy is all sorts of confused, on a multitude of subjects.</p><p>And Keyleth was trying not to get in the middle of things. Thanks, Vax.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pluribus (You know I'm in love with you, right?)

 

Okay, so Percy knows now that Vax is still pining after Keyleth, but he also knows that he and Vax are... Strongly together. But he still likes Keyleth. Percy likes Keyleth, too, but not quite like that.

 

And it's not like he's going to say anything, he just knows... the same looks that usually are for him are also going to Keyleth.

 

He's not sure how he feels about that.

 

.

 

He knows, once Vax kisses Keyleth so unceremoniously, that the rage sitting in his gut like a hot stone isn't just about Vax's stupid repeat of the night of the Feast.

 

"You know I'm in love with you, right?"

 

Words hadn't burned him like that in a very long time. He's gathering up the arrows for Vex, and Keyleth, bless her, is awkwardly trying to heal Vax and not adress what just happened. He ends up with a white knuckled fistful of arrows and anger.

 

"Vax, are you alright?" Percy asks, deadly calm. Vax and Keyleth mumble affirmative, so Percy clutches what is basically a switch in his hands and stats beating Vax around the torso. "Don't go into rooms by yourself! God _damn_ it!"

 

"He had a knife to her throat-" Vax begins to protest, but Percy cuts him off

 

"You count to ten!" He drops the arrows at this point and turns top approach his sister, Vax still speaking behind him.

 

She's staring at him and he stops just in front of her to stare back. She almost hasn't changed, aside from aging. "Percy," she whispers. "You're here?"

 

"Cassandra," His voice is shaking, whether from grief or joy or the adrenaline still pumping, and he finds himself tearing up a bit. "I am so sorry."

 

"Good," Cassandra's voice is not nearly as wobbly as his, almost cold, but she takes him up in a warm, tight hug, and he can't help but reply in kind. She doesn't make a sound, and neither does he, but she's shaking like a leaf.

 

He can feel the eyes of Vax and Keyleth behind him, boring into his back and shoulders as if to install a second pair of limbs, and finds that he begins to weep just quietly.

 

.

 

Vex takes him aside, after Whitestone is liberated and Cassandra claims the seat of Whitestone, and pulls Percy into the library. "We need to talk about my brother," she says curtly, before sitting him down in a leather armchair. "Because he apparently can't handle his own issues."

 

Percy isn't sure he appreciates being dragged around by the elbow in his own home, but Vex seems intent and he isn't one to stop her.

 

Vex sits down opposite him, facing him squarely and looking quite frustrated. "Vax and I have hardly been apart in all our years. We know each other better than anyone else may. So believe me when I say, he's still infatuated with you as much as he was two weeks ago, despite how he's been acting."

 

Percy slumps back and looks away, "With everything that's come out in the last two weeks, I'd figured I drove him off." The smoke, the way he'd gotten so cruel, he knew he had scared everyone. Pike had been the only one who hadn't seen it all.

 

Vex just shakes her head. "We were all concerned for you, Percy, but you didn't drive anyone off. Least of all, him or I." She steeples her fingers and sighs. "My brother has different romantic tendencies than most. I'm sure you're feeling a bit put out about his... affections for Keyleth." She says this with distaste. "It's not her fault he's developed an infatuation with her as well."

 

"You say that word, infatuation."

 

"You two haven't been together long enough to graduate yet."

 

Percy can't quite say he disagrees.

 

"Anyway, my brother has always had far too much room in his heart, and we all know that the heart wants what it wants, despite our better judgement." With this, Vex leans back into the chair, nearly swallowed by it. Percy had forgotten how big these chairs were. "He falls for someone, and then falls for another. Rarely does it end up going well."

 

They are silent for a moment; Percival thinks maybe he could fall asleep. Hes pretty sure he and his father sat in these very chairs and had similarly serious discussions in his youth. The fireplace is cold and clean, the globe is in the same place between the chairs... Oh. That's right. Percy finds the latch where the two hemispheres meet and lifts the lid. Vex looks over with mild interest

 

The upper hemisphere sits on the hinge like an open maw; inside, there is an old decanter of whiskey, still sealed, and a set of four glass tumblers. Theyre pretty dusty; he wipes two out with his ascot.

 

Vex's interest appears to have grown. "That looks like a nice bottle," she states. It is; Percy is sure it is quite old and expensive. "How did they manage to overlook it?"

 

"There are plenty of old bottles in Whitestone, I'm sure. My father had a fondness for fine whiskey, and he liked to show them off. The Briarwoods may not have noticed this globe, or cared." He cracks the seal and pours the both of them a shot's worth.

 

Vex lifts her glass and says, "To the late Lord de Rolo, and his excellent taste in alcohol."

 

"To Frederick de Rolo," Percy knocks his glass against Vex's, and they both knock back the shot at once - and immediately choke when it burns their throats.

 

Vex recovers first, enough to say "That definitely isn't shot whiskey."

 

Percy has to agree. "Might need a a touch of ice, maybe a short attunement."

 

"Needs to be wined and dined." Says Vex, and they're both recovered enough to chuckle. In lieu of ice, Vex brings out a waterskin and dribbles a little water in both of the tumblers. Percy pours out a little more; this time they sip, and the whiskey goes down much more smoothly.

 

"The last time he was in deep like this," Vex pauses with a thought, "Well, not quite like this, we didn't know them as long, but we were living with this human couple who took a liking to him. We were the hired hands at the time, tending livestock and guarding against predators. We needed the money and the shelter. In hindsight, we were quite naive about the whole thing." Vex takes another sip, "This was just before we went home, so we were about nineteen. Still doing everything our father told us not to, for the most part."

 

They sit in silence for a moment. "What happened?" Percy asks.

 

"He fell for them. Then they let us go at the end of the winter. Broke his heart. He was miserable for weeks. Point being," Vex looks at him pointedly, "They weren't up front with their intentions. You two need to be. Mostly he needs to communicate with you, but you need to tell him if what he's doing isn't okay, because he's an idiot who will assume it's okay if you say nothing."

 

Percy takes a moment to choose his words carefully. "And what if it isn't okay?"

 

"You mean more to him than that couple ever did, Percy, but so does Keyleth. Take that as you will." Vex replies shortly.

 

Thank you, Vex. "And here I thought you were trying to help," Percy is just as curt in his reply, "but this is entirely unhelpful."

 

"Its meant to be. This is something you two need to figure out between you." Vex finishes the last of her whiskey and leans forward again, "But I will give you one last thought; do you trust my brother?"

 

"With my life," Percy says immediately.

 

Vex shakes her head, "Of course, but that's not what I mean. I mean do you trust him with your heart? Do you trust him not to break it, not to leave you hanging?" When Percy falls to answer, she smirks just faintly and says, "You should figure that out."


End file.
